by Mechas — Agriculture has triggered enormous changes in human society. But it is not unique to humans. Read more →
A Fungus that Reduces Methane Emissions
Noteworthy — We face unprecedented rising global temperatures, a crisis driven largely by the burning of fossil fuels. But other sectors, like the livestock industry, also contribute by producing large amounts of greenhouse gases. Read more →
Fungus Helps Carnivorous Plant Digest Prey
by Kevin Blake — It is well-established that microorganisms help vertebrates digest food, such as the bacteria in our gut breaking down complex carbohydrates. But do carnivorous plants engage in similar digestive collaborations? Read more →
Kool & The Gang − Celebration
by Christoph — Other than the title Kool & The Gang − Celebration suggests, this post is not about the R&B band of past glories and their biggest hit, but instead celebrates the true "cool kids", mushrooms − biologically correct fungi − and their "hypothermic nature", studied by Cordero et al. (2023). Read more →
Mycorrhizae and Land Plants – An Update
by Roberto — I am fortunate that among the first impressions of my day, I take in this view of land plants. Given my proclivity for microbiology my mind inevitably wonders to what I cannot see, the underground network of filamentous fungi connecting the roots of those plants, the mycorrhizae. Read more →
On the end of a leash
by Vivienne Baillie Gerritsen — It has been a long time since I saw a plug hanging from the side of a bathtub. Remember the small triangular ring the chain dangled from, and the actual plug at the other end – usually a piece of black and slimy rubber that fitted perfectly into the plug hole. As a child, the perfection of the fit used to fascinate me and... Read more →
Putrescence and Poetry
by Corrado Nai — Flickering stars filigree the cosmic void. A green, incandescent planet bursts on the screen. We didn't know we were watching a science fiction movie. Drumrolls climax into the next frame. Suddenly, fiction is stripped away, and in a heartbeat we are thrown into the heart of science and culture. We are not staring at the infinitely large but observing the minuscule at work. Read more →
How to Be a Lichen
by Nastassja Noell — Lichens are symbiotic organisms – algae, fungi, cyanobacteria, bacteria and yeasts – that form miniature ecosystems that you can hold in the palm of your hand. They live on trees and rocks throughout the Southern Appalachians, and are also found in the Arctic, the Antarctic, rainforests, alpine tundra and especially in the desert. Read more →
The Lives of Fungi
by Elio — In the beginning of this gorgeous and intellectually fulfilling book, Britt tells us that, due to modern technology, fungi are now known to be "more ubiquitous than we thought" and are "much more important to the environment and, by extension, to ourselves." He proceeds to justify these statements... Read more →
The Ugliest of Mushrooms
by Elio — If beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, then, faith and begorra as the Irishmen may say, so does ugliness. It is widely stated in the mycophile literature that the ugliest of mushrooms is one called Pisolithus arhizus (once tinctorius, for reasons I'll explain soon)... Read more →